OT, but interesting, bit about the US and a cyclist killing a jogger.

On Fri, 8 Oct 2010, wrote:
On Oct 7, 9:37Â*pm, "Mrcheerful" wrote:
weird ways of the USA , comments are interesting too

http://www.trifuel.com/forum/24136/cyclist-kills-runner

The comments about cyclist/driver dynamics are interesting, I
find cycling in the US a lot less stressful. US drivers, on the
whole, tend to be a lot more courteous and leave a lot more room,
maybe due to their compensation culture? But then I found that to
be true of Yorkshire drivers compared to Cambridge recently ...

Maybe due to the greater space available - in both your comparisons.

regards, Ian SMith
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On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:50:17 +0100, The Medway Handyman wrote:


I'm surprised you didn't realise she wouldn't have heard the cyclist
without the headphones.

Thats what make pavement cyclists so dangerous. Silent killers.


Some countries (eg Slovakia) have made it illegal to wear headphones
while a pedestrian or bicyclist.
If the pedestrian wasn't wearing headphones and being distracted she may
have been more alert to surroundings, other traffic etc.
As for the bicyclist, what about a bell or a shout? i know this would
not have worked through headphones, but without?

Peter


--
67.4 percent of statistics are made up.

Peter Keller wrote:
On Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:50:17 +0100, The Medway Handyman wrote:


I'm surprised you didn't realise she wouldn't have heard the cyclist
without the headphones.

Thats what make pavement cyclists so dangerous. Silent killers.


Some countries (eg Slovakia) have made it illegal to wear headphones
while a pedestrian or bicyclist.
If the pedestrian wasn't wearing headphones and being distracted she
may have been more alert to surroundings, other traffic etc.
As for the bicyclist, what about a bell or a shout? i know this would
not have worked through headphones, but without?

Peter

Surely it is just good practice to ensure that at least some contact has
been made before going past, ringing a bell from behind will usually get a
quick glance over the shoulder. If you don't get something then you slow
down. A light thump from a bike is unlikely to do more than bruise. To
kill someone there must be a good speed difference.

Mrcheerful wrote:

Surely it is just good practice to ensure that at least some contact has
been made before going past, ringing a bell from behind will usually get a
quick glance over the shoulder. If you don't get something then you slow
down. A light thump from a bike is unlikely to do more than bruise. To
kill someone there must be a good speed difference.


Perhaps we need drivers to sound their horns and slow right down every
time they go past a pedestrian on the pavement too then.

Tony

"Tony Raven" wrote in message
...
Mrcheerful wrote:

Surely it is just good practice to ensure that at least some contact has
been made before going past, ringing a bell from behind will usually get
a quick glance over the shoulder. If you don't get something then you
slow down. A light thump from a bike is unlikely to do more than bruise.
To kill someone there must be a good speed difference.

Perhaps we need drivers to sound their horns and slow right down every
time they go past a pedestrian on the pavement too then.

Tony

Different situation.
They were on a shared use path, and probably travelling in the same
direction.
As a vehicular road user: if you find pedestrians walking in the road, and
they cannot see you, then yes, it is a good idea to establish contact and
slow down if you don't get it, whether you are on a bike or a car,
(especially if it is a quiet vehicle). the highway code has advice on this.

Mrcheerful wrote:

Different situation.
They were on a shared use path, and probably travelling in the same
direction.
As a vehicular road user: if you find pedestrians walking in the road, and
they cannot see you, then yes, it is a good idea to establish contact and
slow down if you don't get it, whether you are on a bike or a car,
(especially if it is a quiet vehicle). the highway code has advice on this.


I look forward to experiencing that on the (shared use) road when I'm
cycling and I'm passed by a car but I won't hold my breath for it.

Tony

Tony Raven wrote:
Mrcheerful wrote:

Surely it is just good practice to ensure that at least some contact
has been made before going past, ringing a bell from behind will
usually get a quick glance over the shoulder. If you don't get
something then you slow down. A light thump from a bike is unlikely
to do more than bruise. To kill someone there must be a good speed
difference.

Perhaps we need drivers to sound their horns and slow right down every
time they go past a pedestrian on the pavement too then.

Clue. Cars make a noise. Brrm brrrm.


--
Dave - intelligent enough to realise that a push bike, like a skateboard, is
a kid's toy, not a viable form of transport.

Tony Raven wrote:
Mrcheerful wrote:

Different situation.
They were on a shared use path, and probably travelling in the same
direction.
As a vehicular road user: if you find pedestrians walking in the
road, and they cannot see you, then yes, it is a good idea to
establish contact and slow down if you don't get it, whether you are
on a bike or a car, (especially if it is a quiet vehicle). the
highway code has advice on this.

I look forward to experiencing that on the (shared use) road when I'm
cycling and I'm passed by a car but I won't hold my breath for it.

Tony

I have found that a warning toot when approaching a wobbly cyclist would
usually be met with a torrent of abuse and/or waved appendages.

Mrcheerful wrote:
Tony Raven wrote:
Mrcheerful wrote:
Different situation.
They were on a shared use path, and probably travelling in the same
direction.
As a vehicular road user: if you find pedestrians walking in the
road, and they cannot see you, then yes, it is a good idea to
establish contact and slow down if you don't get it, whether you are
on a bike or a car, (especially if it is a quiet vehicle). the
highway code has advice on this.
I look forward to experiencing that on the (shared use) road when I'm
cycling and I'm passed by a car but I won't hold my breath for it.

Tony

I have found that a warning toot when approaching a wobbly cyclist would
usually be met with a torrent of abuse and/or waved appendages.


Ditto a warning ring of the bell with pedestrians. That's if they even
register it or can hear it for the phone clamped to their ear or the
volume of their iPod.

Tony

On Oct 9, 10:12*am, "The Medway Handyman" davidl...@no-spam-
blueyonder.co.uk wrote:
Tony Raven wrote:
Perhaps we need drivers to sound their horns and slow right down every
time they go past a pedestrian on the pavement too then.

Clue. *Cars make a noise. *Brrm brrrm.


Yep, sometimes too much, the incessant road noise from tyres and
engines in town is a continual annoyance, and I'm surprised that
Health&Safety haven't got round to doing something about it.

And yet, sometimes not enough to over come wind noise. I never hear
cars until they're alongside me when I'm out of town, of course the
closer they are the more notice I get :-)

Strange old world ....

--
Dan